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The Monkees cast each had their unique talents. All four actors on the NBC television series brought different levels of expertise in the music and acting fields to the table. However, Peter Tork suggested that of him, Micky Dolenz, and Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones was the “best natural musician” of all.

Davy Jones and Peter Tork on the set of 'The Monkees.'
Davy Jones and Peter Tork on the set of ‘The Monkees’ | NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Davy Jones was a musical theater performer turned television star

Jones played the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, which played in London’s West End in 1960, based on Oliver Twist’s novel. The singer and actor followed the show to New York City when it made its Broadway debut in 1963.

Subsequently, Jones was nominated for a Tony Award in Featured Actor in a Musical category. Jones’ rousing signature number in Oliver! was called “Consider Yourself.” 

On February 9, 1964, the day The Beatles made their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, 19-year-old Jones quietly waited in the wings to perform on the same stage. He would make his American television debut with the cast of Oliver! that evening. A YouTube clip featuring his performance shows the cast as they performed “I’d Do Anything” on the Sullivan stage.

However, Jones fell for the musical group who wore identical hairstyles and suits. “I watched the Beatles from the side of the stage,” Jones recalled, as reported by Playbill. “I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, ‘This is it; I want a piece of that.’” Two years later, he would achieve the same level of success as the Fab Four.

Peter Tork said Davy Jones was the ‘best natural musician’ of all The Monkees

In an interview with Guitar World, Tork called his Monkees co-star and bandmate the “best natural musician.” This compliment came after a discussion in the piece about Tork’s many musical skills, which include guitar, bass, keyboards, banjo, and other instruments.

Tork assessed, “The best natural musician in the bunch was Davy. He never hit a bad note. My pitch is not as certain, and Micky’s isn’t as secure. Mike’s is, but he doesn’t have the emotional range Davy had.”

He continued to praise Jones’ talents. “Davy could sing Broadway, ballads, and rock. He could do anything. What I am, among these guys, is the best trained, the only one who could read and write music.”

Peter Tork also praised Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz for the skillset each brought to the band

Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz on the set of 'The Monkees.'
Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Peter relayed a story about the music for the song “Shades of Gray,” in which appeared on Michael wrote the horn and cello part to the song, which appeared on The Monkees’ album Headquarters. The band members orchestrated the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil tune.

“He wrote it in his head, he sang it to me, and I notated it, and I notated it for the French horn. I’m the only one of the four who had that body of information. I took piano for six years and French horn for a couple, plus music theory in college,” Tork explained.

“Mike is extraordinarily rigorous in pitch and time. And he’s got imagination, and he’s a very hard worker. I’m not. The only thing I have going for me is that I’m trained,” he deadpanned.

Tork also praised Dolenz for his skillset as a pop singer. He told Guitar World, “Micky is one of the better pop singers of all time. I once told him, ‘You must be one of the top 20 pop singers of all time.’ He said, ’20?’ I said, ‘OK, 15.’ He said, ’15?’ I said, ‘OK, 10, but that’s my best offer.’

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